Gotta Be You

What happens after Jules and Harry get engaged? And what happens when Jules introduces her best friend, Carmen, to Niall? Will he break up with Demi for her or will they keep pretending that they weren't attracted to each other since the moment they met?

*Author Note:* Hey guys! So, this is the sequel to Operation Haylor, which you can find on my profile if you haven't read it. Unfortunately, Josh, the awesome guy who co-wrote Operation Haylor with me, isn't going to be writing any of Gotta Be You (unless he wants to do a bonus chapter or something, which has been discussed, so look out for it possibly).

26. Chapter 26

Niall’s Point of View

It was like I could see Carmen’s heart breaking as I looked at her face. I’d said the wrong thing. “So it is true?” she whispered, covering her mouth with one of her hands, her shoulders hunching a bit like she’d been hit in the stomach with a football before quickly dashing away.

“Carmen!” both Jules and I yelled, starting after her. Harry grabbed Jules as Demi asked, “So you’re choosing her over me?”

“No, Demi, I was never choosing you in the first place.”

As I ran after Carmen, I heard Demi gasp.

I finally caught up with her as she got to the tour bus. The girl runs fast. “Carmen,” I said, pulling her close and stopping her from getting on.

“What are you doing, Niall?” she asked as she buried her face in her hands.

“I’m choosing you, obviously,” I told her.

“What makes you think I’m a choice anymore?” she asked, uncovering her face and looking up into my eyes. “Demi said I was just a fangirl. You were just toying with my emotions. That the two of you were together all along.”

“That’s not true, Carmen,” I said, letting her go and running my hands through my hair frustratedly. “Obviously that’s not true. How could you believe her?” She shrugged. “Carmen,” I said, dropping my hands and looking her dead in the eyes, “listen, Demi called me this morning and said she was coming to the show tonight. I didn’t ask her to. I haven’t even talked to her since before we left for tour. She said she wanted to make up, but I didn’t know she meant she wanted us to be together again. I thought she meant just as friends. I told her about us. She asked about us. What was I supposed to do? I didn’t know this would happen.”

“I don’t know,” she answered as tears fell silently down her face.

“Come here,” I said, pulling her back to me. She buried her face in my chest this time. I stroked her hair. “Do you believe me?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“It wasn’t an accident we danced to Gotta Be You at Jules and Harry’s wedding you know. I wanted you way back then,” I told her.

“I was hoping,” she said, looking up at me again. I pushed her hair from her face, wiped the tears from her eyes, and kissed her cheek, then softly, her mouth.

“What do you say I go get rid of Demi now?” I asked.

“Sounds good.”

*******

“Guys!” Liam yelled, throwing his door open (as much as you could throw a hotel room door open. Those things are heavy.) just as Harry and Jules stepped out of their hotel room. “Danielle and I are back on!” he exclaimed, running down the hall toward us.

“Liam!” Jules shouted. “That’s awesome!” She let go of Harry’s hand, and dashed to Liam, throwing her arms around him excitedly. “I’ve always liked the two of you together, you know.”

“Thanks Jules,” Liam said, hugging her back.

Harry cleared his throat, and started down the hall after Jules, crossing his arms and trying to pretend to be tough. It didn’t work out too well because for one, he was Harry, and two, he had a grin on his face.

“Excuse me, Liam,” Harry said, pulling Jules away from him and wrapping his own arms around her, crossed over her chest. “You can’t be trusted anymore.”

“Hey!” Liam protested as Harry wrapped his arms around her stomach, lifting her off her feet.

“Harry!” she squealed. Carmen and I moved out of the way as he ran past us to the elevator.

“That’s really great about you and Danielle, Liam,” Carmen confirmed, focusing on him again.

“Yeah, now you won’t steal my girl,” I agreed.

“That’s not fair. You guys are being mean,” Liam said in his angry pouting way.

“Life’s not fair,” I said, starting toward the elevator just as Jules and Harry stepped in. I was holding Carmen’s hand, so she had no choice but to follow.

“Bye Liam,” she called over her shoulder.

“Goodbye Carmen!”

We got to the elevator right before the doors closed. I had to put my hand out to stop it. Harry had Jules against the wall, kissing her, his hands rubbing up and down her arms, hers holding onto the fabric of his red plaid shirt in both of her fists. “Aw. Come on,” I complained.

“What?” Carmen asked as she stepped onto the lift behind me. When I saw her eyes land on Harry and Jules, I knew I didn’t have to explain.

“Hey, I’m allowed to kiss her all I want,” Harry defended himself.

“Let’s just go, can’t we?” I asked. “Thanks for holding the door for us, by the way.”

“I didn’t know when you’d be coming,” Harry said.

“Where are we going?” Carmen asked me.

“It’s a surprise,” I answered.

Carmen’s Point of View

“Close your eyes for this part,” Niall said to me.

“Yeah, you close yours, too,” Harry told Jules.

“Why are we closing our eyes?” Jules asked.

“So you don’t see where we’re going. So it’ll be a surprise,” Harry answered.

“Well, duh-“ Jules started.

“Because Niall wants it that way!” Harry said.

“Fine,” Jules said indignantly, but with a smile on her face. She was too easily charmed by Harry. She closed her eyes without any more of a fight.

Smiling, I did as I was told, too, completely trusting Niall. I wouldn’t argue with him tonight for the world. I could tell how happy he was that he got to take me around Ireland. He’d been really excited about tonight. He’d been leading me by the hand down the dark street anyway. He’d had it since we left the bus, actually. The street had looked pretty deserted when we’d started down it, but the further we went, the more I could make out voices and nighttime noise at the end of it. It was a really nice night in Dublin for this late in the year, about 14 degrees Celsius.

“Ah!” Jules said. I opened my eyes just in time to see her tripping over her own two feet.

“Close your eyes,” Niall repeated, more earnestly this time.

“Sorry,” I said.

Jules laughed. “Harry,” she whined through her giggles.

“Sorry,” he said. “How was I supposed to stop you from tripping over the ground? There was nothing there!”

“Close your eyes again, Jules,” Niall instructed.

“Okay, okay,” she said. I heard the sound of her breathing being changed as she tried to compose herself. It didn’t work. She began giggling again.

“What’s so funny?” Harry asked her. I could hear the grin in his voice.

Instead of waiting for her answer, and keeping up with their conversation, I asked Niall, “How much longer do we have to keep our eyes closed?”

“Not too much,” he said.

That was the truth. They led us just a little bit farther before the noise reached its height. I sensed that there were people all around us.

“Open your eyes,” Niall whispered in my ear.

“Wow,” I whispered. We were standing in a street flooded with people. It was an adorable little town full of cafés, shops, pubs, and restaurants. There were lights strong off the buildings as far as I could see. It was beautiful.